Afghanistan brings back the Bard

Page Tools

Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost is performed in the ruins
of Kabul's royal palace.Photo: Reuters

SHAKESPEARE has been performed in Afghanistan for the first time
since the Soviet invasion of 1978 began more than two decades of
turmoil almost devoid of cultural activity.

A professional Afghan cast performed a Dari-language version of
Love's Labour's Lost on Monday in the bomb-scarred remains
of Kabul's 16th century Babur Gardens.

It was the finale to a four-night run that was enthusiastically
received by audiences but met some fierce criticism in the
conservative press, which saw it as an imposition of Western
values.

The production, made possible by the British Council, was
heavily abridged by American playwright Stephen Landrigan and the
director and French actress Corrine Jaber.

Its tale of love and duty was moved from Spain to Afghanistan
and trimmed to 1½ hours. Local sensibilities would not
tolerate the bawdier sub-plots and religious strictures,
necessitating the editing of lines such as: "Madame, you are a
goddess."

One actress had to move out of her house after neighbours
suspected her of adultery or prostitution because she was coming
home from rehearsals after sunset.

The actors insisted on a change to the finale, in which the king
of Spain and his courtiers try to woo a visiting queen and her
ladies while disguised as Russians.

The 10-year Russian invasion cost 1.3 million Afghan lives.
Instead, the Afghan king and his courtiers appeared as Indians to
woo the ladies with Bollywood dance routines.

The audience of about 400 included members of the Afghan royal
family, the French ambassador, students and builders restoring the
gardens. Jaber said the cultural obstacles, particularly for the
female actors, had been enormous. "At first the actors would not
even look at each other," she said.

Faizal Azizi, who played a courtier, said the Taliban, who ruled
for five years until the 2001 American invasion, would "never allow
us to put on a play, to tell a story about love.

"Now we have a democracy and we can show these things to our
people. I am so proud."